The best books of the week

Lyse Doucet and the hotel where she got to know Afghanistan; Nick Clegg’s post-Meta musings on Big Tech; Ian McEwan’s most entertaining novel in years; how the state and free markets pursue innovation; up-close with Britain’s craftspeople; new novels by Damian Barr and Asta Olivia Nordenhof; the case for embracing more sentimentality — plus Adam LeBor’s pick of new thrillers